Item holder having a self-adjusting air bladder system

Abstract

An item holder includes a receiving well with an upper opening. First and second air bladders are disposed in the receiving well. Upper portions of outer casings of the air bladders are substantially flush with the upper opening of the receiving well when the air bladders are in an inflated condition. Also, the abutment portions abut one another along an abutment seam when the air bladders are in an inflated condition. A sensor may be sued to detect the receiving of an item in the receiving well. Valves assemblies are opened as the sensors detect an item being received in the receiving well. The item compresses a filler material disposed within the air bladders as the item is received in the receiving well. When the item is removed from the receiving well, the filler material expands to inflate the air bladders to the at-rest position.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An item holder comprising:
 an elongate receiving well having opposed and spaced-apart first and second sides with a retaining area disposed therebetween; and 
 first and second air bladders disposed on the first and second sides, respectively, wherein the first and second air bladders are configured to inflate to an at-rest position substantially filling an upper opening of the retaining area, and further wherein the first and second air bladders at least partially deflate to a retracted position to allow access to the retaining area, wherein the first and second air bladders are configured to retain an item therebetween within the retaining area when the first and second air bladders are in the retracted position. 
 
     
     
       2. The item holder of  claim 1 , including:
 a sensor disposed along the upper opening of the receiving well for sensing an item being received in the receiving well, wherein the air bladders have to the retracted position as the item is received in the receiving well. 
 
     
     
       3. The item holder of  claim 2 , including:
 a controller operably coupled to the sensor and one or more valve assemblies, wherein the controller initiates an inflation sequence by opening the valve assemblies to inflate the first and second air bladders to the at-rest position when the sensor detects the item being removed from the receiving well. 
 
     
     
       4. The item holder of  claim 1 , including:
 a filler material disposed within the first and second air bladders, the filler material being operable between expanded and compressed conditions, wherein filler material is flexibly resilient and biased towards the expanded condition, and further wherein the first and second air bladders inflate to the at-rest position as the filler material moves from the compressed condition to the expanded condition. 
 
     
     
       5. The item holder of  claim 1 , wherein outer casings of the first and second air bladders are spaced-apart from a bottom wall of the receiving well, and further wherein the first and second air bladders partially fill the receiving well when in the at-rest inflated position. 
     
     
       6. The item holder of  claim 1 , including:
 a sensor disposed adjacent to the upper opening, the sensor configured to sense an item entering the receiving well and further configured to sense the item being removed from the receiving well, and further wherein one or more valve assemblies move to an open position in response to a signal from the sensor. 
 
     
     
       7. The item holder of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor is operably coupled to a controller, wherein the controller sends a signal to an inflation system to initiate a deflation sequence of the first and second air bladders from the at-rest position to the retracted position. 
     
     
       8. An item holder, comprising:
 a receiving well having opposed sidewalls defining a retaining area therebetween; and 
 first and second air bladders disposed on the opposed sidewalls, wherein the first and second air bladders are configured to inflate to an at-rest position substantially filling an upper opening of the retaining area, and further wherein the first and second air bladders include outer casings, respectively, wherein the outer casings of the first and second air bladders abut one another along an abutment seam in the at-rest position. 
 
     
     
       9. The item holder of  claim 8 , wherein the opposed sidewalls are coupled together at a bottom wall. 
     
     
       10. The item holder of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second air bladders cover and conceal the bottom wall of the receiving well when in the at-rest inflated positions. 
     
     
       11. The item holder of  claim 8 , including:
 a filler material disposed within the first and second air bladders, the filler material being operable between expanded and compressed conditions, further wherein the first and second air bladders inflate to the at-rest position as the filler material moves from the compressed condition to the expanded condition. 
 
     
     
       12. The item holder of  claim 11 , wherein the filler material is flexibly resilient and biased towards the expanded position. 
     
     
       13. The item holder of  claim 8 , including:
 one or more valve assemblies disposed on the opposed sidewalls, respectively, wherein the first and second air bladders are in communication with the valve assemblies. 
 
     
     
       14. The item holder of  claim 13 , including:
 a sensor disposed along the upper opening of the receiving well for sensing an item being received in the receiving well and an item being removed from the receiving well, wherein the sensor causes a signal to be sent to the valve assemblies to open the valve assemblies to allow air to be expelled from the first and second air bladders therethrough. 
 
     
     
       15. The item holder of  claim 13 , wherein the first and second air bladders deflate to a retracted position to allow access to the retaining area, further wherein the first and second air bladders are configured to retain an item therebetween within the retaining area when the first and second air bladders are in the retracted position. 
     
     
       16. The item holder of  claim 15 , wherein the valve assemblies move to a closed position to keep an inflation level of the first and second air bladders in a static condition to maintain a retained position of the item. 
     
     
       17. An item holder, comprising:
 an elongate receiving well having opposed first and second sides with a retaining area disposed therebetween; and 
 first and second air bladders disposed on the first and second sides respectively, the first and second air bladders each including a filler material disposed in an interior cavity defined by an outer casing, wherein the filler material is operable between an expanded condition and a compressed condition, and further wherein the expanded position defines inflated at-rest positions of the first and second air bladders. 
 
     
     
       18. The item holder of  claim 17 , including:
 a controller operably coupled to the sensor and an inflation system, wherein the controller initiates an inflation sequence of the inflation system to inflate the air bladders to the inflated condition when the sensor senses the item being removed from the receiving well, and further wherein the controller initiates a deflation sequence when the sensor senses an item entering the receiving well. 
 
     
     
       19. The item holder of  claim 17 , wherein the filler material is flexibly resilient and biased to the expanded position, and further wherein the first and second air bladders are configured to self-inflate to resume the at-rest position. 
     
     
       20. The item holder of  claim 17 , including:
 one or more valve assemblies, wherein air is expelled from the interior cavities of the first and second air bladders through the one or more valve assemblies when the filler material moves to the compressed condition, and further wherein the filler material is configured to draw air in through the one or more valve assemblies to move from the compressed condition to the expanded condition.